Traditional Chinese medicine employs herbal formulations to treat bodily ailments. In some cases, single herbs or herb derivatives are used. More commonly, however, “formulas”, or specific combinations of several particular herbs, are administered. The following five herbal materials have been used in Traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2000 years. They have been recorded in many historical Chinese medical textbooks, and are cited in many articles published in contemporary scientific journals.
COMMON NAMELATIN NAMECHINESE NAMECassia TwigRamulus cinnamomiGuizhiIndian BreadPoria cocosFulingPeach SeedSemen persicaeTao RenWhite Peony RootRadix paeoniae albaBai ShaoTree Peony BarkCortex moutanMu Dan Pi,
Cassia Twig is the dried young stem of Cinnamomum cassia Presl (Fam. Lauraceae). The plant is collected in spring or summer. It is dried in the sun after collection and removal of its leaves. It can also be chopped into slides. The medicinal preparation has cylindrical body, multi-branched, 30-75 cm in length, with a thick end of 0.3-1 cm in diameter. It is brown or reddish-brown on the surface, with longitudinal lines, fine wrinkles, dotted with leaf, branch or bud scars. Hard and fragile, it is easily broken. For slices, it is 2-4 mm thick, cut surface showing reddish-brown in the bark area, yellowish-white to pale yellowish-brown in the wood part. It has a characteristic aromatic odor, and is tasted sweet or slightly pungent (especially in the bark). The medicinal preparation is the clean scraps of Cinnamomi without visible impurities. The important ingredients of Cinnamomi is cinnamaldehyde and cinamic acid.
Indian Bread is the dried sclerotium of the fungus, Poria cocos (Fam. Polyporaceae). The plant is collected from July to September. After collection, it was piled up and spread about for air-drying repeatedly until wrinkles appears on the surface and its inner moisture evaporated. The whole dried sclerotium is known as “Fulingge”. If the fresh sclerotium is peeled before drying, the separated parts are called “Fulingpi” (peel) and “Fulingkuai” (flesh).
The outer skin is thin and rough, brown to blackish brown, conspicuously shrivelled and striated. The texture is hard and compact. It is odourless, tastes weak and becomes sticky when chewed. The medicinal preparation is the clean scraps of Poria without visible impurities. Its important active ingredients are Pachman and Pachymic acid.
A number of United States patents and literatures have taught methods of composing curative compositions from herbs like Cinnamomi, Poria etc. A number of investigators from China have also reported on animal or clinical research using certain Cinnamomi and Poria composition.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,403, a formula consists of Poria extract up to 20% in weight is been used to treat or prevent disorders in sugar balance, diabetes, and blood circulation diseases such as Angina Pectoris.
Poria cocos wolf is being use for treating cardio-, cerebro-vascular diseases, Alzheimer's and depression. A composition containing Poria cocos wolf up to 20% of its weight has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,182.
He et al. has published an article in 1994 on clinical study of a Cinnamomi and Poria composition in 100 cases of gynecopathies: dysfunctional uterine bleeding caused by irregular shedding of uterine endometrim, chronic pelvic inflammations, dysmenorrhea and small intramural hysteromyoma. In comparison with 50 cases of patients that were treated with another medicinal preparation (Bolus of Cinnamomi and Poria, BCP), observations based on multiple complaining symptoms and physical signs showed no significant difference between the two groups.
Shi et al. reported in 2000 the therapeutic effects of a Cinnamomi and Poria composition in 60 patients with hysteromyoma. Patients accepted physical gynecology examination, ultrasonic examination and hematochrome test. The Shi's study reported an effective rate of 91.7%, and among which, 10% of the cases was of significant improvement. The effectiveness of treatment was defined as “significant improvement” if the tumor was reduced 3-5 cm and enlarged menstrual flow was reduced 50% or more; or “improvement” if the tumor was reduced 2-3 cm and menstrual flow was reduced 25% or more.
The present invention provides a herbal composition comprising Cinnamomi and Poria that would be effective in relieving symptoms of a number of diseases such as those discussed above. In contrast to the more traditional practice in Chinese medicine, the present invention is produced by updated technologies which could better preserve the effective ingredients of Cinnamomi and Poria. 
Throughout this application, various publications are referenced and full citations for these publications may be found in the references at the end of the specifications preceding the claims. The disclosures of these publications are hereby incorporated by reference into this application in order to more fully describe the state of the art as known to the skilled therein as of the date of the invention described and claimed herein.